Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), former chair and now ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is described as a “bipartisan lawmaker who is often lauded for his pragmatic approach” in a special piece profiling the Senator in today’s Roll Call. The article examines his long career in the Senate, noting his “low profile” and contrasting his approach to the late Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), also a former chair of the committee:

“Given his ability to work with Democrats on the committee, both when he was chairman and now in his role as ranking member, Lugar seems like a throwback to the days when the Senate was a lot more bipartisan.”

Lugar, the article says, works closely with Chairman Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) on a variety of issues, most recently funding for increased troops in Afghanistan. While “Lugar’s voting record is reliably conservative,” as former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) remarked, “[t]here has not been a president since Jimmy Carter that has not been very active in seeking Dick Lugar’s advice.”